WROC Co-Director: Paul Mathisen
Professor Mathisen’s teaching and research concentrate in the areas of water resources and environmental engineering. He enjoys challenging himself to learn new ideas and concepts, which he can then apply to solve problems that can make a difference for other people. WPI’s curriculum and projects program provide the perfect environment for fostering these opportunities. Professor Mathisen especially enjoys advising projects and working with students, since these activities always provide excellent opportunities to learn, solve problems, and make a difference.
Some of the key challenges in water resources and environmental engineering include providing sufficient clean drinking water, protecting water quality and ecosystem health, and developing plans to address some of the long-term effects of development and climate change. By combining hands-on work in the laboratory and field with modeling techniques, and working in collaboration with a number of colleagues and a variety of organizations, Professor Mathisen’s teaching and research programs are addressing these challenges.
Research Interests
- Water Resources
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Hydraulics
- Stormwater Management
- Contaminant Transport in Groundwater
Education
- BS, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Featured Publications
- Mathisen, P. “Considerations Regarding Geochemical Transformations Downstream of Subsurface Wastewater Effluent Disposal Facilities,” Chapter 10 in The Effects of Urbanization on Groundwater: An Engineering Case-Based Approach for Sustainable Development, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2010.
- Mathisen, P., D. Pellegrino, and H. Wen. “Considerations Regarding Nutrient Pathways and Loads into Surface-Water Resulting From Subsurface Discharges of Wastewater Effluent,” Proceedings of the 2007 World Environmental and Water Resources Conference, May 15-19, 2007, Tampa, Florida.
- Mathisen, P. “Introducing Field Experiences into the Undergraduate Curriculum,” Proceedings of the 2007 World Environmental and Water Resources Conference, May 15–19, 2007, Tampa, Florida.
- Ozdilek, H., P. Mathisen, and D. Pellegrino. “Fingerprinting Long-Term Heavy Metal Transport and Sediment Contamination Using Bioassay Samples Surrounding a Freshwater Riverine Ecosystem: The Blackstone River, USA,” Journal of Environmental Biology, Volume 27, Nos. 3-4, March/April 2007.
- Roberge, J. and P. Mathisen. “Sensitivity Analyses to Assess the Use of CFD for Predicting the Occurrence of Swirl in Pump Intakes,” Proceedings of the Symposium on Industrial Application of Swirling Flows, 1999 ASME/JSME Conference on Fluids Engineering, July 1999, San Francisco, CA.